The type of glass used for internal glass balustrades is the tempered (or toughened) and laminated glass with a minimum thickness of 21,5 mm or 27/32 inches. The tempered and laminated glass is also called safety glass as it is manufactured in a way that if a glass panel brakes, it crumbles into minuscule chunks which remain bonded together in the laminated glass panel.
If the balustrade has newel posts and handrail as supporting elements, the glass panel is not structural but used as infill glass panel and has a minimum thickness of 11,5 mm or 0.45 inches. The same happens on staircases with glass railings.
The structural glass balustrades are often recommended by architects and designers and have become a must in Modern Staircase Design if you want to give a contemporary and elegant style to your project.
- Glass balustrades fixing
- Frameless glass balustrade side mounted
- Frameless glass balustrade top mounted
- Balustrade with infill glass panels
- Outdoor balustrades and balconies
Glass balustrades fixing
According to the design of the glass balustrade or glass balcony railing you need, we can recommend different glass balustrade fixings. Here are all glass balustrade details with pictures of glass balustrades we recommend.
Frameless glass balustrade side mounted
– Glass balustrade with standoff fixings
This is probably the most popular (and the most cost effective) system. The glass is fixed to the side of slab with stainless steel stand-off fixings, properly designed and tested to withstand the required structural load. On this video you find a comprehensive guide to mount your frameless glass balustrade on the side of your slab or mezzanine.
If you want to achieve a cost-effective elegant design the side mounted frameless glass balustrade with stand off fixings is probably the best choice on residential glass balustrades.
– Glass balustrade with fascia
We have many clients that do not like how the stand-off fixings look, but want to upgrade the landing balustrade fixing to match the staircase design or to have a clean finish. In this case we can fix the glass balustrade to the slab using a steel fascia which will be clad by another fascia. We can produce the external fascia in powder coated steel, stainless steel or wood. The design of this fascia is normally matching the staircase stringers.
Frameless glass balustrade top mounted
Glass balustrade with visible rail
Sometimes the construction details of the slab do not allow the glass balustrade side fixing or the client may prefer the top mounted fixing system.
In this case we suggest to fix the glass balustrade on top of the floor using an aluminium or steel u-channel (rail),
Glass balustrade with invisible rail
If you want to achieve a seamless design we suggest to hide the rail in the floor as shown in this glass balustrade picture.
Glass balustrade with stainless steel clamps (stirrup)
Another elegant option to fix the landing balustrade to the floor is by using stainless steel base clamps. This system is clean and easy and there are many clamps designs available. The clamps however have to be tested to withstand the load required load applied on the glass balustrade. On glass balustrades and glass guard-rails for commercial and public building we normally recommend the fixing system with rail or fascia, which provide a better support to hold the glass.
What type of glass is used for balustrade?
Balustrades with infill glass panels
Another option for glass balustrade for stairs or for glass balcony railing in the glass balustrade with infill glass panels. In this system the structural parts of the balustrade are the handrail and the posts, not the glass itself.
You may want to choose powder coated or stainless steel handrail and posts. The glass is fixed to posts using stainless steel or powder coated clamps.
A good solution to have a contemporary and classical look at the same time is to have the infill glass panels supported by a wooden handrail and wooden posts (oak wood is the most popular). In this system you will have the glass fixed to posts with clamps and it may be fixed to the handrail too.
If you do not like the look of stainless steel we can come out with a solution to have the glass directly fixed to the wooden handrail and posts
Top mounted glass balustrade and Side mounted glass balustrades
We can chose to have the posts side fixed to the slab or top mounted.
What type of glass is used for balustrades?
Outdoor balustrades and balconies
The same type of glass on internal glass balustrades is suitable for outdoor balustrades. All fitting components are for exterior use, i.e. Aisi 316 stainless steel or hot galvanized steel. In public and commercial areas such as restaurants, bars, shopping malls, hospitals and schools high loading requirements are often needed. In this case we have to go for thicker glass panels, 15 or 19 mm.
The types of glass and the glass balustrade fixings for outdoor are therefore similar to the ones used on interior design. In the glass infill panels the structural elements as handrail and posts have to resist to atmospheric conditions. The hot galvanized steel or the aisi 316 stainless steel are the most suitable. If the design requires wooden structural elements the best wood for outdoor use are the teak or th iroko finished for outdoor use.
Whatever system you choose you will have to pay the utmost attention to the structural parts of the balcony or building where the glass balustrade has to be fixed (for example slab or floor). If builders do not build those elements in the proper sturdy way, required by structural calculations, the safety glass balustrade will never be able to resist to any load imposed on it.
For more information on what type of glass is best for balustrades and glass balustrade fixings or to check if the base you have is strong enough for a glass balustrade
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